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Chokuthit flies the flag at jet ski King’s Cup
Euro Tozen World Water Cross King’s Cup 2006
Her Royal Highness Princess
Ubolratana Rajakanya presents the King’s Cup to Chokuthit Molee for the
Pro-Am Runabout 800 Open event.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The Euro Tozen World Watercross King’s Cup, now entering its second decade,
is rightly described as being one of the ‘Biggest racing events in the
East’. Certainly the many spectators who turned up at Jomtien Beach last
weekend to witness it first hand would be hard pressed to disagree.
In sparkling weather, interim Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont was
on hand to fire the starting gun and signal the beginning of the 2-day event
that drew over 20,000 fans, most of whom watched enthralled as some of the
biggest and most talented names in world jet skiing battled it out to the
finish.
 Chokuthit
celebrates a home victory in the King’s Cup
One of those taking part was Chokuthit Molee, a great jet skiier and
competitor under the Team Flamingo banner, and Chokuthit was not about to
disappoint his many Thai fans as he defended in style the Open Pro-Am
Runabout 800 title he won last year, finishing ahead of compatriots
Suphadaet Dharsai of Team Singha and ‘Iron Man’ Chavalit Kuocharoon, also of
Team Flamingo
The Thai supporters had barely finished celebrating when another local
competitor and rising star, Boonpradit Kongmaung took the Pro-Sport Mod
title from New Zealand’s World Champion Mike Carstairs, who suffered from a
crash in Moto 3. Carstairs eventually recovered from his miss-hap to finish
2nd in the classifications.
Carstairs was by no means the only superstar on view though. Seven-times
world champ and a frequent visitor to Thailand and the King’s Cup, Chris
Macclugage of the USA was back in town and looking for another victory to
follow the Pro-Am Ski 800 title he captured at last year’s event.
Macclugage is widely recognised as being one of the greats in the sport and
certainly put all his experience and talent on display last weekend as he
outclassed his opponents to win the Pro-Am Runabout 1200 Open title.
With four King’s Cups on offer over the two days, this just left the Pro-Am
Ski 800 Open to be contested and a popular winner of this event was Japan’s
exuberant skier Mizuo Hidaka ahead of his countryman Hideyuki Kurahashi.
Without question, one of the highlights for this year’s champions was the
presentation of the King’s Cup trophies by Her Royal Highness Princess
Ubolratana Rajakanya. In this year of celebration for the 60th anniversary
of His Majesty The King’s accession to the throne, it was a fitting end to a
spectacular weekend of watersport in Pattaya.
Prime Minister General Surayud
Chulanont presides over the opening of the event.
(Left) The two days at Jomtien
saw some spectacular action.
Chai-Yo! The local skiers more
than held their own against some of the biggest names in world jet skiing.
The skiers try to anticipate
the gun at the start of the finals.
2006 Euro Tozen World King’s Cup Jet Ski Results
| Pro-Am Runabout 1200 Open
|
Pro-Am Ski 800 Open |
| 1st Chris Macclugage (USA)
|
1st Mizuo Hidaka (JPN) |
| 2nd Norito Nakano (JPN)
|
2nd Hideyuki Kurahashi (JPN) |
| 3rd Hajime Isahai (JPN)
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3rd Virapong Manechom (THA) |
| Pro-Am Runabout 800 Open
|
Pro-Am Sport 800 Modified |
| 1st Chokuthit Molee (THA)
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1st Boonpradit Kongmaung
(THA) |
| 2nd Suphadaet Dharsai (THA)
|
2nd Michael Shane Carstairs
(NZ) |
| 3rd Chavalit Kuocharoon (THA)
|
3rd Suphadaet Dharsai (THA) |
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Rod scores an ‘Ace’ at Treasure Hill
PSC golf from The Bunker
Monday, December 4,
Khao Kheow, Medal
The Bunker Boy’s travelled to Khao Kheow on Monday for a Medal competition.
The cut was at handicap 17 and under and the course proved to be as tough as
ever with nobody breaking par.
 Rod
Stevens was a happy man back at the Bunker Bar after recording his first
ever ‘hole-in-one’.
Chris Olley won the A Flight with a level par net 72, six shots ahead of
Gordon Melia who had a net 78, whilst third place was tied between William
Macey and Gerry Cooney who both finished with net 79.
In the B Flight Geoff Parker carried on his good form winning with a net 78,
second place went to Thea Von Spelling with net 79 and third spot went to
Bryan Rought with net 80.
Only three par-3 greens were hit with ‘near pin’ prizes going to Frank
Baker, Chris Olley and Rod Stevens.
Wednesday, December 6,
Treasure Hill, Stableford
Treasure Hill was the midweek venue for a Stableford comp and
what a day it turned out to be.
The cut was again at handicap 17 and we saw lady golfer Thea Von Spelling
take the honours in the B Flight with the best score of the day, winning
with 37 points. Second place went to Fred Griffin with 32 points and third
place was shared between Rod Stevens and Brian Maddox with 31 points each.
William Macey won the A Flight with 33 points ahead of Geoff Hart on 31
points and third placed went to Gerry Cooney on 30 points.
Only three par-3 greens were hit again and the honours went to Paul Smith
and Charlie Gooch but the highlight of the day was a ‘hole in one’ by
Canadian Rod Stevens at the tricky 17th hole. Rod rang the bell with glee
back at The Bunker Bar as it was his first ever ‘Ace’ - well done Rod!
Friday, December 8,
Green Valley, Medal
The second Medal comp of the week saw The Bunker Boy’s go to the
lovely Green Valley Country Club in Rayong. The cut was at handicap 17 and
yet again we saw the familiar face of Geoff Parker winning the B Flight with
a 1-over par net 73. Jim Wooler and Jack Gayer tied for the runner up spot,
both with net 76’s.
The A Flight also had a tie, this time for first place between William Macey
and John King who also recorded 1-over par net 73’s. Meanwhile Tony Scambler
claimed third place with a net 76.
Two ‘near pin’ prizes were awarded to Mashi Kaneta and William Macey whilst
Bryan Rought won the other two.
City stay top
after hard fought draw
MBMG International League 2006/07
Woodstock defend a Pattaya City corner during
the match at Horseshoe Point last Saturday (photo supplied by Rick Bryant).
Chris Sanderson
Week 11’s ‘Match of the Week’ without question was the clash between
Woodstock and Pattaya City at Horseshoe Point, Pattaya. With City looking to
maintain their lead at the top of the table and Woodstock desperate not to
fall further behind the leaders, the game had all the ingredients of a
cracker and indeed it was a first class encounter which proved tight
throughout with few chances being created. Both teams managers, in their
respective end of match interviews, claimed they had chances to win a match
that ultimately ended goalless and the teams shared the points.
Meanwhile Londoner were facing a Les Gaulois team that had been blowing hot
and cold all season and the Dons fell behind in the 15th minute following
excellent work by David Serene. With the scoreline remaining unchanged at
half time the current champions were under the spotlight but a fantastic
second half hat trick from Sureeya turned the game around and secured all
the points for the Londoner who moved to within 2 points of Pattaya City as
a result.
Also at Patana on Saturday Winking Frog put a stop to the Vikings recent
mini revival when they defeated them 4-2 and moved them alongside the German
All Stars in the league and handily placed in the championship race. British
Club were also in action and they eventually ran out 4-2 victors over an
under strength BSL Youth team.
The final Saturday clash saw IrishXchange and SCI Pickled Liver share a
point apiece in a 1-1 draw that kept both teams in the bottom half of the
table.
Sunday saw Bullshead take on Bangkok Utd and they got back to winning ways
with a comfortable 3-0 victory with goals from Hogan, Sierra and Brown.
This week’s fixtures are the last of the calendar year and all eyes will be
on two fascinating games. Pattaya travel to Bangkok to face the German All
Stars as the team with the best ‘goals for record’ plays the team with the
best ‘goals for against’ record in a game that Pattaya will be hoping to win
to maintain their position at the top. Meanwhile Londoner will take on
Winking Frog in a fixture that has always held a competitive edge with both
sides hoping for one final victory in 2006. Visit www.somtam.com for more
details.
Woody, The Donkey and NY Slim
IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s
Sunday, December 3,
Green Valley - White Tees, Stableford
A Flight:
1st Mark Sherwood (4), 42pts
2nd Chas Li (11), 37pts
3rd Jack Spencer (10), 36pts
B Flight:
1st Colin Davis (15), 44pts
2nd Rick Brand (12), 43pts
3rd Roy Thornton (12), 41pts
C Flight:
1st Charles Sheppard (19), 39pts
2nd Kevin Moraghan (17), 38pts
3rd Eddy Beilby (18), 38pts
D Flight:
1st Adam Schoenfeld (20), 43pts
2nd Loz Shaw (21), 41pts
3rd Stephen Gould (20), 39pts
NP’s: #2 John Hillier; #9 Bruce Milner; #12 Charles Sheppard; #16
Mark “Woody” Sherwoood
2’s: Mark “Woody” Sherwoood (2), Jeremy Masse, Walter Baechli, Jan
Eriksen, John Hillier, Colm Mullen, Charles Sheppard, Kevin Moraghan, Eddy
Beilby, Stephen Goould
The award of the title slot is just one of the weighty burdens which The
Scribe must shoulder each week. With Solomonesque wisdom, he hopes to
placate his reviewers, scant in numbers though they be, by awarding it to
three players and the case for each lays below.
Woody Sherwood, a/k/a Caddy to the Stars (specifically Freddie Jacobsen),
threw the early marker down with an A Flight winning 42 points, thanks to a
gross 70. Counter-punching his way into contention came NY Slim with a D
Flight winning 43 points. Then there was The Donkey shooting the first
sub-eighty round in his barely illustrious golfing career and amassing a B
Flight winning and best on the day 44 points.
The story of those not making the title cut must start with Rick Brand who
followed Colin in B Flight with an exemplary 43 points himself Even the
third place B Flight podium holder, Roy Thornton, MBE, had 41 points. Ah,
Sundays at Green Valley. Poor Dene Airey received nary a mention for his 40
points.
The balance of the field was somewhat more the norm as five arrears of Woody
in the Premier Flight was fellow Shacker Chas Li and six adrift were the
tandem of Gent Black Jack and Capt Fogg. His Fogness received nothing for
his effort thanks to an inglorious count back.
Loz Shaw had a fine 41 points to take second in the junior Flight to Slim,
with Stephen Gould tidied up that podium with 38 points.
The only Flight not addressed thus far was C Flight and that because Charlie
could only muster 39 points to win it. Lt. Col. Kevin and the Man of Leisure
were knotted at 38 points apiece but Kevin left with his wallet a little
fuller.
Monday, December 4,
Royal Lakeside - White Tees, Stableford
A Flight:
1st Pat Regan (11), 41pts
2nd Mossy Quaid (8), 38pts
3rd Nigel Flanagan (12), 38pts
B Flight:
1st Adam Schoenfeld (20), 45pts
2nd Charles Sheppard (19), 39pts
3rd Roman Barabolak (28), 37pts
2’s: John Hillier, Colm Mullen
Monday belonged to only one of our title contenders and that was NY Slim who
followed up Sunday’s 43 points with 45 more on forgiving Royal Lakeside.
That was six points clear in B Flight of another Sunday winner, Charlie
Sheppard. Newcomer Roman Barabolak had his first taste of Lewiinki’s loot
with 37 points.
In the Top Flight, Pat Regan led a trio of Irishman (well Nigel has an Irish
surname) across as his 41 points were three better than the 38 points of
Mossy Quaid and Nigel Flanagan. Mossy being directly from the Old Sod had
the better of the count back luck.
Wednesday, December 6,
Phoenix Mountain and
Lakes - White Tees,
2- Person B/Ball Stableford
1st Mark Sherwood (4) & Dene Airey (14), 44pts
2nd Rand Reynolds (14) & Jack Spencer (10), 41pts
3rd Simon Philbrook (6) & Bob Patterson (7), 41pts
4th Geoff Kubas (19) & Paul West (9), 41pts
2’s: Simon Philbrook, Paul West, Gareth Gill, Pierre Bietry
On Sunday Woody had that 42-point effort and Dene had 40, so why not team
up? Why not, indeed! The partnership combined in the 2-Person Betterball to
clear the field by 3 with 44 points.
The three teams locked in the count back for the last three pay slots had
varying make-ups. The count back winners, Rand Reynolds and Gen. Black Jack,
just met before the competition, the team settled in third was a pairing of
two of the best single handicappers in the Society, Simon of Philbrook and
Sen. Bob, and the fourth place finishers were old friends Geoff Kubas and
Paul West.
Friday, December 8,
Noble Place A & B - White Tees, Stableford
A Flight
1st Mark Sherwood (4), 41pts
2nd Gareth Gill (12), 39pts
3rd Ted Lodge (12), 37pts
4th Mossy Quaid (83), 37pts
B Flight:
1st John Allen (18), 36pts
2nd Colin Davis (15), 36pts
3rd Joe Tynan (23), 35pts
4th Eddy Beilby (18), 35pts
NP’s: #A5 - Simon Philbrook
2’s: Mark “Woody” Sherwood
So we come to Friday and the testing Peter Thompson/Michael Wolveridge
collaboration and who should end the week as he started it? Yes, Mr.
Sherwood, and another fine 41 points off a gross 71! Two sub par rounds on
the week, not bad That put Woody two clear of GiGi who himself was two clear
of the trio of two Irishmen, Teddy Lodge and Mossy Quaid, and the Ladies
Man. Only Irish Eyes were smilin’ when the count back was complete.
John Allen, brother of long time friend Bob Allen, put his first stamp on
the Society ledger with a count back win over The Donkey (one of those title
guys). There were a couple more Irishman, Joe Tynan and Tom Breslin, and The
Man of Leisure and The Photographer to the Stars knotted at 35 points. Joe
brought one home for the Old Sod and Eddy avenged a Sunday count back loss.
As if it weren’t enough, Woody had the only “2” on the day, and it was an
eagle!
The Beautiful Game?
by Riz Taylor
Eastenders plot takes another twist
You just can’t keep some clubs out of the news, and in a
busy week for football gossip it’s West Ham who once again hog the
headlines. The Hammers might be unable to score Premiership goals this
season, but that hasn’t stopped the East London club outgunning their rivals
in the papers.
A reminder for anyone who’s been busy “taking in the air” on Beach Road for
the past six months. A ninth placed finish in the league preceded a
thrilling FA Cup Final that saw the trophy snatched from the Hammers’ grasp
by Steven Gerrard’s one-man show. Since those heady days it’s been a tale of
disaster with almost daily updates coming out of Upton Park. An Iranian
businessman ‘sold’ the club two Argentinean superstars for no transfer fee
as a prelude to his mate taking over before Icelandic billionaire Eggert
Magnusson stepped in during the negotiations to steal the club away for
himself. Sprinkle in a few stories of player unrest and nightclub incidents
and you’ll see why West Ham are becoming the modern day Newcastle.
At least we haven’t seen any teammates fight each other on the pitch, but
hey, we’re only halfway through the season and there’s plenty of time for
that later.
Keeping to this season’s theme, and the club were shocked to find that the
Pattaya Mail’s weekly football rundown had no plans to discuss them in this
issue, and so promptly sacked their manager close to deadline time on
Monday.
I feel for Alan Pardew and I make no effort to hide my respect for the guy.
Taking over at the West Ham as they struggled in the Championship in 2003,
he led the club back into the ‘Promised Land’ via the playoffs and delivered
a top-ten finish the following season with that cup-run as a surprising
bonus. This came after having to win over a large section of the club’s own
fans who had called for his head in the early days.
There were even mentions of a possible England role for the former
double-glazing fitter, but this season’s roller-coaster ride has seen his
fortunes take a nosedive. His days have looked numbered recently after a
succession of poor results, but the deciding moment for his new employers
came after the side’s abject display at Bolton on Saturday when the club
limped home after a 4-0 thrashing.
Still, Pardew is said to have walked away with a termination fee that sees
him over a million pounds better off, so I’m sure he won’t have to spend his
harsh European winter worrying about his heating bill. The sympathy has its
limits.
It looks like Alan Curbishley is about to step into the manager’s seat at
Upton Park, and the way things are going at the time of writing he might
even be installed by Sunday’s home fixture with Manchester United.
Curbishley has the advantages of being a free agent, a former West Ham
player and also a Londoner who loves nothing more than a good old Cockney
knees-up around the piano of a weeknight.
“West Ham want to talk to me and I would love to know what they want to say,
of course I’m interested,” Curbishley told the Daily Express on Tuesday. “I
suspect we’ll get together over the next day or so when the dust settles.
This chance would be a massive honour.
“West Ham are my club,” he continued, fluttering his eyelids. “I come from
Canning Town, grew up as a trainee, became a first-team regular and sat at
the feet of the incomparable Bobby Moore. The England captain would often
give me a lift into training and I’ve never forgotten the lessons he taught
me on and off the pitch, especially how to conduct myself in public. Once
you are brought up in a background like West Ham the affection you have for
the club never goes away.”
So that’s that settled then. Onto Everton, who are making hints of a
possible move away from Liverpool to a new site in neighbouring Knowsley.
It’s by no means a done deal, but by leaking the news to the media you
suspect that the club are testing the reaction from supporters after being
told by the local council that it would be impossible to extend their
current home. Without the latest fashion accessory of a billionaire owner it
looks to be their only option.
Talking of billionaires, Chelsea will arrive at Goodison on Sunday desperate
to make an indent into Manchester United’s lead, which was extended at the
weekend by the Blues only managing a draw at home to Arsenal.
“Sir Alex Ferguson must be happy now because you can say we dropped two
points,” said Jose Mourinho after the game. “But if he thinks it’s over he’s
in trouble, because it’s not over. Chelsea is ready. We have shown we are
ready. We were losing at home with five minutes to go and we showed an
incredible reaction from being 1-0 behind. I think after Wednesday we will
be five points behind and what is five points in a long Premiership season?”
Arsenal, meanwhile, face another tricky afternoon with a visit from
Portsmouth tomorrow. Pompey are rapidly becoming this season’s success story
after another win at the weekend at the expense of Everton, which included a
spectacular effort from Matt Taylor that will take some beating for Goal of
the Season.
Aston Villa host Bolton tomorrow whilst Liverpool visit Charlton. Reading
take on Blackburn Rovers and the glamour tie of the weekend sees Wigan
Athletic pitted against Sheffield United. On Sunday it’s Everton against
Chelsea, Spurs versus Manchester City and that West Ham matchup with league
leaders Manchester United that could see Alan Curbishley back in a
tracksuit. Fulham play Middlesbrough early Tuesday morning Pattaya time,
which of course you’ll all be setting your alarm clocks for, right?
Speed Hits 500
Welsh international Gary Speed made Premiership history on
Saturday by becoming the first player to reach 500 appearances in the
division.
“I don’t pay a lot of attention to landmarks, they make me feel old,” said
Speed, who was part of the Leeds United team that won the final ‘old’
Division One title in 1992. “I’ll look back with pride at that sort of thing
when I retire,” he continued. “The much-needed three points at West Ham were
more important to me. We’ve been on a bad run and haven’t been taking our
chances.”
Alan Shearer sang the praises of his 37-year-old former colleague. “Gary
could go on forever. He’s a top pro who looks after himself so well, it’s
right that he’s got the Premiership appearance record. He should be an
inspiration to any youngster coming through the ranks.”
Macca Returns
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid star Steve McManaman looks set
to reignite his playing career by signing for Hong Kong League side Hong
Kong Rangers, and according to the South China Morning Post he could be on
the books by the turn of the year.
McManaman, 34, has become a familiar fixture as a commentator for ESPN Star
Sports this season, and appears to enjoy life in Asia so much that he’d like
to stay on a while. And however bad Hong Kong Rangers are, who reading this
would criticise him for that?
Chaos at Century Chonburi
PSC golf from The Oohsa Bar
Regretably I have to report that for the first time we did not enjoy our
golf trip run from the Oohsa Bar. This had nothing to do with the bar or
the fine food and hospitality received but everything to do with playing
golf on a Thai public holiday.
On arrival at the course at our given ‘hit-off’ time, we were amazed at
the number of people already waiting on the first tee and this set the
tone for the rest of the day. Long waits at every tee and an even longer
wait (25 minutes) at the 10th due to the fact that the starter saw fit
to push in two large groups ahead of us at this tee. I think you can
imagine the frustration.
The course itself was in good condition but the greens could only be
described as Augusta like as one little touch was likely to send the
ball off the green on the other side. Many stories were told later of 3
or 4 putts being taken after starting only 2 metres from the hole or
less.
Our eventual winner was Su Murphy who finished with an incredible 38
points playing off 34 with the next best being Yves Phlibert with 26 off
h/cap 24. The long putt award was won by Ed Horrocks and near pins by
James Green, Rich Murphy and Yves Philibert.
Our next trip will be to Treasure Hill on the 19th and you are more than
welcome to join us. For more information please contact Keith Hodges on
087-916-7171 or call into the Oohsa Bar on Soi Kao Talo
A week of more ‘lows’ than ‘highs’
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, December 4,
Eastern Star, Stableford
1st Paul Davies, 34pts
2nd Russell Exley, 33pts c/b 17
3rd Roar Berger, 33pts c/b 15
4th Paul Taylor, 32pts c/b 21
5th Yasuo Suzuki, 32pts c/b 15
A week that saw only two scores under par in all three competitions out
of The Haven started off unpromisingly at Eastern Star, where the course
was in much better condition than the contestants games.
Paul Davies, known as “Bubbles” to his closest friends for some reason,
and making one of his occasional visits to Pattaya, managed to combine
business with no little pleasure as he led home the under-performing
group with a two-over score on a day that saw the CSS rise to 75.
Russell Exley was once again to be found among the prize winners, even
now playing from his lowest ever handicap level. Whilst not quite up to
the recent standard, he was still good enough to lead the rest of the
field, edging out Roar Berger on count back.
Paul Taylor just squeezed in ahead of Yasuo Suzuki, after a disastrous
front nine that returned him only eleven points, he stormed back ten
better to easily win the count back.
Peter Tucker had the only ‘two’ in the first division, whilst Paul
Taylor slipped in the lone one in the second division.
Before presenting the prizes Richard Livingston, the resident PGA
teaching professional welcomed back Stephen Lewis.
Wednesday, December 6,
Green Valley, Stableford
1st Phil Groves, 38pts
2nd Paul Taylor, 36pts
3rd Jan Eriksen, 33pts c/b 17
4th Mashi Kaneta, 33pts c/b 16
Phil Groves can always be relied on to put in a good round even when the
going is tough as he out muscles and out thinks the opposition on the
better courses. Today was no exception and with a very tidy gross 75
round it took him to the top of the pile once more.
Continuing where he left off in the previous competition, Paul Taylor
started very well but faded towards the end and could not close the gap
between himself and Phil, but it still proved good enough to take second
spot by some margin.
Jan Eriksen made a welcome return to The Haven, and despite trailing
Paul by three he still managed to win out in the count back by a shot
over Mashi Kaneta, who was also making a long awaited return to Soi 13.
There were no ‘twos’ in the second division but to make up for that
there were five in the first with Takeshi Hakozaki, Al Rolnik and Glynn
Nicholas getting one each and Chris Davisson getting two.
Prior to the prize giving Richard welcomed back Chris Davisson and Mashi
Kaneta.
Friday, December 8,
Burapha, Stableford
1st Yasuo Suzuki, 38pts
2nd Bob Heath, 36pts
3rd Dave Spendley, 35pts c/b 19
4th Glynn Nicholas, 35pts c/b 17
Yasuo Suzuki, having recently made the rounds of several of the other
IPGC venues in the search for success, returned to his usual stamping
grounds and won with a modest, at least for him, two-under and on the
way shattered the hopes of Captain Bob Heath, who nurtured dreams of
returning to South Herts with a win to add to the numerous failures of
the past. Maybe it was the over exposure to golf earlier in the week at
Soi Dao or possibly the expensive one day stay in hospital that
contributed to his loss of concentration when the chips were down over
the closing holes.
Whichever it was, he will have to wait for another day to claim the
elusive accolade.
Dave Spendley was again to be found in the frame as he took third place
ahead of the nearly returned to form, Glynn Nicholas in the last of the
week’s count backs.
There were no ‘twos’ in the second division again but Alan Howell sunk
the only one in the first division to sweep the pool.
Back at The Haven, Richard welcomed back Phillip Cass, Kenny Priddy,
John Squitero, Jack Spencer and Mike Dinsdale.
Doug & Ian on top
at Treasure Hill
PSC golf from Tropical Berts
Tuesday, October 5, Treasure Hill, Stableford
This was to be a ‘different’ day, due to all the drinking places being
closed on the auspicious occasion of His Majesty’s Birthday. First up we
arrived for breakfast as normal at Bert’s and then off up the rickety
road to Treasure Hill. One day this will be a very slick drive, but at
present it is only 75% there. Still, much better than it used to be.
We had not been to this course for some time, so it was a pleasure to
have a quick book in, and find ourselves on the first tee. As expected
we were behind some local five-balls, but all in all they moved faster
than most of our elderly four-balls, so hold ups were few and far
between.
It was also noted that one thing had not changed since we were last
there. It was still blowing a gale.
On the course the holes proved as tight as ever, with the longer hitters
roaming the rough and being stuck behind trees, while the shorter
hitters found it difficult to reach the greens in regulation, and this
despite playing off the yellow tees. The greens were fast and slick,
proving a real test for all the golfers.
Back in the restaurant, after a reviving shower, we all gathered to hear
the worst, or the best!
The winner of the A Div, 0 to 18, was Tony Oaks with 36 points ahead of
Doug Chalkley in second with 34 points on count back over Hans Collet in
third.
In the B Flight we had the higher scores, with Ian Covill winning with
39 points ahead of Dick Warberg in second with 38 points and in a count
back for third on 35 points, Mark Brenton just edged out Alan Hollibone.
With there being nowhere to go after the golf, we all traipsed home and
went to bed.
T.T.F.N.
Near Pin: Steve Compton, Mick O’Meara, Rick Evans, Brian Gabe
Long Put: Andy Evans, Derek Brook
Paddy claims Monthly Medal
IPGC Jomtien Golf
Monday, December 4, Rayong Green Valley, Monthly Medal
A maximum field setting of 32 players took off from Paweenas for our Monthly
Medal at the Green valley course. After a few discussions in recent weeks,
we are now running two divisions for the bottle prizes for nearest the pins,
and the kitty will also be split two ways for the ‘twos’ competition.
So on the front nine both the par 3’s had a lower scratch rating, so they
were allocated to the Div 1 players. John McLoone and Glen Elsworth won the
bottles here and in the second tier, Rick Newman and Miss Nom walked away
happy at the presentation. There were three 2’s today and the pot was split
with Paddy Wilson claiming two shares and Jim Connelly one.
It was a close fought contest in Div 1 with three people in second place
tying with net 76’s; Fred Duffy, Bill Hewitt and John McLoone. We don’t use
the count back system on Medal days so the second and third prizes were
shared between the three of them. Paddy Wilson’s net 74 earned him the first
prize.
The ladies tipple was awarded to somebody who could not find their umbrella
anywhere when they arrived, so they bought a new one in the clubhouse only
for the caddie to find it in the player’s bag on the first hole. Well done
Dave Richards!
Wednesday,
December 6,
Eastern Star, Stableford
Another large gathering for the ever-popular Eastern Star course
and with a double rollover on the two’s for the Second Division lads and
lasses it was all to play for.
In form at the moment and with a reducing handicap imminent, Dave Richards
won both the bottles on the 3rd and 17th in Division 1 whilst Martin
Glenmore and Andy Crabb took the Div 2 prizes.
In the Div 2 Stableford competition Alan Stephenson, just returned from
China, was third with 35 points, Miss Nom was two points better off in
second and one point above her in first was the Windmolen’s Alan Duckett.
Joop Medze’s 30 points in Division 1 earned him a share of the kitty for
third place; Paddy Wilson’s 32 came in second and Dave Richards 38 points
won him the top prize. He also had the only ‘two’ of the day so there was a
delighted crowd back at the bar when he rang the bell. Cheers Dave.
We now have a triple rollover on the ‘twos’ in Division 2 going into our
next outing.
The ladies’ tipple was won by Tony Duthie for hitting two shots on the
eighth fairway, both into the water and almost hitting two boys swimming and
searching for balls.
Jomtien golf meets every Monday and Wednesday at Paweenas , Soi 5 Jomtien
Beach Road at 9.00am for a 10.30 tee off time. Transport and club hire are
available, please sign up in the bar or contact Glyn on 086 837 5464
Herrington and Flor - double winners on the week
PSC golf from the Bowling Green
Gordon Everingham
& Barry Hooper
Thursday, November 30,
Treasure Hill, Stableford
A Flight:
1st Tom Herrington (18), 36pts
2nd Frank Kelly (17), 35pts
3rd Mike Wardman (10), 35pts
4th Takashi Hakozaki (11), 33pts
5th Dave Askew (10), 33pts
B Flight
1st Joel Flor (24), 39pts
2nd Tewin Lamthong (25), 37pts
3rd Patrick Browne (21), 34pts
4th Tony Burnett (21), 33pts
5th William Chang (36), 33pts
Near Pins: Takashi Hakozaki, Tom Herrington, Tewin Lamthong and Derek
Eastham.
2’s: Takashi Hakozaki
Non-2: Tom Herrington
Tom Herrington, showing his prowess over the last few days, won his 2nd
straight game with a respectable 36 points in A Flight. Along with the win
Tom also managed to have a ‘closest to pin’ and a ‘2’, although he had
earlier decided not to enter the 2’s competition and for the third time
missed out.
Meanwhile Joel Flor showed great form and won in B Flight with 39 points.
This day was also ‘count back city’ with both divisions being almost too
close to call.
Saturday, December 2,
Eastern Star, Stableford
A Flight:
1st Harvey Samuel (18), 39pts
2nd Stuart Thompson (7), 38pts
3rd Tony Oakes (12), 37pts
4th Doug Chalkley (18), 35pts
5th Phil Dwyer (18), 34pts
B Flight
1st Joel Flor (24) 41pts
2nd Petter Andersson (26) 37pts
3rd Andy Galvin (20) 34pts
4th Tony Geeland (20) 34pts
5th Gordon Everingham (26) 32pts
Near Pins: Andy Galvin, Rick Evans, Vincent Smyth and Bob St. Aubin.
2s: Peter Harris, Rick Evans
Non-2: Tony Oakes
Joel Flor decided to follow Tom by winning two times in a row. He did this
in style by shooting an impressive 41pts on a difficult course. Goes to show
that when Joel is on form nothing will stop him. Hope you enjoy your new
lower handicap Joel.
In A Flight it was nice to see a new winner on the stand. Harvey Samuels
posted a very respectable 39 pts to claim the victor’s spoils. Eastern Star
was in grand shape and we all enjoyed out day out.
Tuesday, December 5, Plutaluang, Stableford
A Flight:
1st Stuart Thompson (7), 34pts
2nd Phil Dwyer (18), 33pts
3rd Dave Askew (10), 29pts
B Flight
1st Tony Geeland (20), 31pts
2nd Tony Burnett (21), 31pts
3rd Patrick Browne (21), 29pts
Near Pins: John Meritt, Dave Askew and Frank Kelly (2)
2s: None
The Navy course was very full today with many golfers there to celebrate the
holiday for the King’s Birthday.
The course played tough and it showed in the scores, no one was able to
break par. We all look forward to our next chance to show this course that
we can win, (sometimes).
If any one is interested in golfing with the Bowling Green we play every
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We meet at Bowling Green at 7:45am for
breakfast and transportation, and new players are always made to feel
welcome. You can phone Fergus 086 056 7019 or Bowling Green 038-720742 or
send an email [email protected].
The Bowling Green is holding Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and
free wine. There are limited seats available so book early. Contact the
Bowling Green for details on the number listed above.
CUEL Classic raises another million baht for charity
6th Annual CUEL Charity Classic
The Six Annual CUEL Charity Classic golf tournament held
at Pattana Golf and Sports Resort, November 24 was another tremendous
success both on and off the course.
As well as being a great day out for all the participants, the organizers of
the event also managed to raise 1 million baht for the Fountain of Life
Center, Pattaya which, under the auspices of Sister Joan and her marvelous
staff cares for more than 200 underprivileged local children, aged 3 to 15
years, on a daily basis
 Patrick
Cox, Operations Manager and John Blyton, CUEL Senior Production Manager
present a cheque for 1 million baht to Sister Joan Gormley and Sister
Kalayani Tuanrassamee of the Fountain of Life Center.
CUEL Ltd., a Thai registered company, which fabricates offshore oil and gas
platforms, had players take part from all over the world including the USA,
Singapore, Batam and Hong Kong. All-in-all 168 golfers set off on Pattana’s
A and C courses, playing a four-ball, Texas scramble format. There were
technical prizes on all but one hole. One of the highlights of the event was
the Toyota Yaris prize on offer for a hole in one.
 Two
representatives from the ‘Chiefs’ claim the victors’ spoils
The 7am shotgun start to the tournament meant that everyone was up at the
crack of dawn ready for a great day’s entertainment. There was an array of
beverages and food on offer at the numerous drink stops. The Thailand
cocktail champion was again in attendance to dispense the cold beverages and
also show a ‘trick’ or two. Many thanks must go again to all the food and
drink sponsors for the day.
Back at the clubhouse, the sponsors were thanked and a cheque for 1 million
baht was presented by Patrick Cox, Operations Manager and John Blyton, CUEL
Senior Production Manager to Sister Joan Gormley and Sister Kalayani
Tuanrassamee of the Fountain of Life Center.
Once the important formalities were completed there just remained the small
task of handing out the prizes for the golf competition: 4 ‘Flight’ winners,
17 technical prizes, countless lucky draws, and the ‘wooden-spooners’. All
of the main prizes were accompanied by a crystal trophy supplied from Lotus
Crystal.
So once again, a tremendously successful and thoroughly enjoyable day was
had by all, but let’s spare a thought for all the people whose hard work
enabled this event to take place, not least of all the CUEL office girls who
provided their support throughout the day.
Lushes by name if not by nature -
the Fourth Flight winners accept their prizes.
Thanks to the sponsors
The success of this annual CUEL Charity golf day has been
and remains dependent on the support of all of the valued sponsors who have
so generously donated money, gifts and prizes for the event.
This year many of our previous sponsors have again given us their support,
whilst we are delighted to have some new sponsors, who we hope will also see
that their sponsorships goes towards supporting The Fountain of life Center
and the good sisters who, undaunted, give their invaluable time and effort
in caring for the children of Pattaya.
The CUEL Charity Classic 2006 Committee and CUEL Limited would like to thank
the following for their support of this year’s event.
Major-Sponsors
PCH, Pearl Energy, Jardine Lloyd Thomson and QBE, Chevron, Air
Liquide Welding (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Oakwell Engineering Ltd. and GMS,
Campbells (Thailand), Deborah Services Limited, U-Tech Oil and Gas, Unithai
Shipyard and Engineering, MATCO Asia
Kim Teck Long Offshore, AKSO Nobel Coatings Ltd., Brunel Technical Services,
ARV Offshore, Campbells (Thailand), Deborah Services Limited, Rexal/GE
Supply, TIG Trading Co. Ltd., J. Ray Mcdermott, PT Petrotech – Batam,
Mammoet (Thailand), CR Industrial, Marubeni-Itochu Tubulars, Woodgroup,
Mermaid Marine, Piper Valve Systems, Triangle Cable, Rockwell, Gulf Agency
Company
Hole-Sponsors
EK Crane Group, Thai NDT, Oilstates Industries, M.J. Bangkok
Valve & Fittings, Megatek Industrial Services, Thunder Cranes, Worldwide
Piping Products, Ipedex, Behn Meyer, Kanit Engineering, PTTEP, Bangkok
Frieght (Bafco), FMC Energy Systems, Tri-Progress Elecument, BRV Electrical,
Dynamic Flowline Co. Ltd., EMCO Thailand Ltd.
Additional-Sponsors
Thanks also go to Fourwinds, UTS and John Richardson, San Miguel
and their lovely ladies and Mead Johnson (supplied the tubes of Counterpain)
for all their support and donations on the day of the event.
6th Annual CUEL Charity Classic Results:
First Flight Winners:
Chief’s: Ajj Tularak, Bill Douglas, Brian Burke and Patrick Cox
Second Flight Winners:
McDermott’s Magic: Chor Ping Teo, Aziz Jalai, John Nicholas and Otis
Bourgeois
Third Flight Winners:
Amarin’s Army: Peter Reilly, Amarin Thaloengpong, Peter Campbell and
T.G. Gri
Fourth Flight Winners:
Lushes: Jeff Kallal, Kym Stutley, Ross Leabourn and Russ White
Technical prize-winners:
4 trophies plus golf balls (Titleist DT Solo & CUEL)
Potting for a worthy cause
The Sportsman v Taffy’s Bar Charity Pool Match
Dave Bowers
A charity pool match was held at The Sportsman, Soi 13 for the benefit of
the Camilian Social Center for children with HIV/AIDS. The match was played
on 17th November between the Sportsman Pub team and a team from Taffy’s Bar
on Soi V.C.
The match was a well fought contest with Taffy’s Bar taking the first 3
games and the Sportsman’s players fighting back to take the next three.
After 2 more tight games the match was tied at 4-4, with four doubles games
to play. The Sportsman won the first game to be up in the match for the
first time but got pegged back by 2 very well played games from the
visitors. The match came down to the final game of the night with Taffy’s
Bar leading 6-5. The Sportsman managed to take this game to level the match
at 6-6 to everybody’s delight.
A total of 7,500 baht was raised from the match and a kind donation from
Khun Dez the playing representative of Door 2 Door food deliveries made the
final figure 10,000 baht.
Many thanks to Dez and all the players that took part in this organized
charity match for the Camilian Social Center.
The Ambassador’s Cup at Siam Polo Park
Tom Claytor
December 15-17, Siam Polo Park will be hosting the Ambassador’s Cup Polo
Tournament. This is certain to become a splendid polo tradition in
Thailand. The tournament is to be presided over by His Excellency Felipe
Frydman the Argentinean Ambassador to Thailand, and he will present the
cup to the winning team.
Some great Polo action coming this weekend in The Ambassador’s Cup tournament
at Siam Polo Park (Photo courtesy Chatchaya)
There is a very exciting line up of teams for the event. Singapore will
be sending a team from The Singapore Polo Club. This is one of the
oldest polo clubs in Asia, and they are fielding Sattar Khan from
Pakistan, who is one of the highest handicapped players in all of
Southeast Asia, as well as several other talented young players.
Indonesia will return with the famous Nusantara Polo Team sponsored by
Khun Bowo, with the lethal attacking combination of Inen & Pepin, Marco
who has been coaching them for several years, and a short-haired secret
weapon called Matias.
The King Power Polo Team from VR Sports Club will take to the field with
the Raksriaksorn Brothers, Khun Top and Khun Tal. Top has just returned
from Argentina where he was playing 22-goal polo with Adolfo Cambiaso -
who many consider to be the best polo player in the world. This team
will also see the steady hand of Pepperoni and the very talented young
Tsu. Normally, this team is commanded by Cabeza Grande, so Pepperoni
will have some big boots to fill.
Black Dog is the newest polo team in Thailand, but don’t let that fool
you, because they are fielding some old dogs. Khun William from England
recently led an impressive performance in the Tango Cup. The very famous
Eric Butter is the first Thai polo player to shave his armpits to
achieve what he calls the “sanfter schlag” (smooth stroke), and Jamie
Woodward brings light years of experience from his years of commanding
The Blues & Royals British Cavalry polo team.
To mark the event, The Siam Polo Park will host an Argentinean Asado
(Dinner) on Saturday evening. Everyone is welcome to attend. The cost is
1,200 Baht (not including the wine). It is free for players and SPP
members. More information on can be found on www. siampolonews.com
Ambassadors Cup Schedule
Friday 15th:
15:00hs: Black Dog v Indonesia.
16:00hs: VR Sport Club v Singapore.
Saturday 16th:
15:00hs: VR Sport Club v Indonesia.
16:00hs: Singapore v Black Dog.
Sunday 17th:
15:00hs: VR Sport Club v Black Dog.
16:00hs: Singapore v Indonesia. |
The Square Ring:
by Howie Reed
Back in the year of “ought 2” the World Boxing
Council descended upon the beaches of Pattaya for their annual
convention. Prior to the opening of the convention Patrick the
Flying-Boxing Frog promoted a gala charity boxing show. Yes, that would
be Patrick from Patrick’s Belgian Restaurant “stoofvlees me frieten”.
That translates to “my stool is frozen”.
Stars from around the boxing world showed up for the event with many
boxing dignitaries lending their time and effort. One of those who
received a bombastic ring introduction from Howie Reed, world-renowned
bon vivant, was Bob Logist from Belgium. Bob was the third man in the
ring whilst later Patrick won a decision in the main event of the
evening.
Last week, Mr. Logist was elected President of the European Boxing Union
as well. For the time being he will also remain the President of the
Belgium Boxing Union. Congrats to Mr. Logist.
Last Sunday Oleg Maskaev (34-5) defended his WBC Heavyweight title for
the first time. He won in a bout that was called “tactical”, which any
fight fan knows means sleep inducing. Maskaev got a knock down in the
10th on his way to a 120-107, 120-107, 118-109 win.
First time since a Rocky movie that a heavyweight title fight had been
held in Russia. Reading reports, the Ruskies may opt for Rocky next
time. Maskave arrived early for the match with Japan-based Ugandan Peter
Okhello (18-4) to do a little PR. Maskaev was making an attempt to over
shadow Nikolai Valuev who has a defense of his WBA Heavyweight title in
Basel, Switzerland against Jameel McCline on January 20. Both fighters
were hounded by the local press. Maskaev said: “This bout will be the
tough one and very exciting. It surely won’t be the walk in the park as
many of you are expecting right now.”
“Your Lordship?”
Yes Jeeves.
“I have a story I’d like to read to our fans. It was written by my
favorite boxing writer and it’s the announcement some weeks ago of the
death of the great Willie Pep.”
Proceed my good man.
“The last of the old ring legends passed on recently. Willie Pep fought
professionally from 1940 until 1966. In that time he built a record of
230-11-1 with his two world championships almost an ‘oh’ by the way. He
was a fighter who had a beginning win streak of 63-0. That streak was
broken by the great Sammy Angott. Next he won 73 on the trot before he
started his great rivalry with Sandy Sandler. They would fight 4 times
with Pep going 1-3.
Pep, besides being in the Hall of Fame, once won a round without
throwing a punch. He was 84 at the time of his death. May he rest in
piece.”
Thank you Jeeves and now...
“Your Lordship now I have my report.
“M’lord you weren’t too nice to Jeff Lacy after his win over Vitali
Tsypko. The day after the fight he was found to have a torn rotator cuff
in his left shoulder which will keep him out of the ring for 9-12
months. Tsypko wants a rematch.
“WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe gave up his IBF title so
that he could box Peter Manfredo jr. in the Millennium Stadium in
Cardiff on April 7. Manfredo made his name on the telly show ‘The
Contender’. He wasn’t even the winner.
“Calzaghe gave up the IBF title because the organization had mandated
that he fight Robert Stieglitz who is unknown outside of Germany.
Another consideration was that HBO would televise Calzghe-Manfredo in
American while HBO had less than no interest in a Calzaghe-Stieglitz
match.
“Your Lordship was right about now former WBO feather champ Scott
Harrison. Just five days before he was suppose to headline the card at
the Excel Arena in London he pulled out of the fight. His father said
that he couldn’t make the weight. What a w***er.”
Yes Jeeves he is. The departure left promoter Frank Warren with egg on
his face and a hole in the fight card. For his part Warren used the “I
didn’t know” defense. Warren told the press: “I have promoted some of
the nicest guys in the world and some of the biggest a***holes in the
world, and this situation is beyond belief. I cannot think of a time
ever like this. You cannot deal with things when people are not telling
you the truth and you are not getting the information. I had no
knowledge at all that Scott was pulling out of the fight and it is all
pretty dreadful.”
With Scoot Harrison off the card Sunday at the ExCel Arena in London
someone had to take up the slack. Nicky Cook, who was to have fought
Harrison, won a non-descript eight rounder against late sub Harry
Ramogoadi.
Could Audley Harrison fill the bill against Danny Williams, who himself
was not originally on the card? Well ‘Dart Legend’ “Big” Dave Whitcombe
thought so. Here’s his take on the fight: “Harrison destroyed Williams
inside 3 rounds. Williams had a severe cut under his left eye, the left
eye was closed, and a severe cut across the bridge of his nose.
Eventually it was stopped because Harrison knocked Williams down and
after the 8 count Harrison hit Williams too many times for it to go on.
There were more punches thrown in those 2 and a half rounds than the
whole of the 12 round first fight. He looked at last like a real deal. I
was shocked because I thought he was just not the genuine article.
However, he did put up a great performance so we will see if he can
progress on that.”
Score the man “One Hundred and Eighty”.
Britain’s next best hope, the maybe over hyped jr. welter Amir Khan,
finally had to go 10 rounds. He got the job done with a 99-91 decision
over Rachid Drilzane (10-4).
In North Little Rock, USA, Jermain Taylor (26-0) had no trouble when he
won a UD in his hometown over Kassim Ouma (25-3). Taylor was never
challenged or in trouble. There is talk of Taylor moving up to
super-middle to “have a go” at Joe Calzaghe next year. Bad idea. Like
his fellow Olympic teammate Jeff Lacy, Calzaghe’s style would not suit
Taylor. Bad career move.
A name to remember off that card may be welterweight Andre Berto (16-0).
He was very impressive in stopping veteran Miguel Figueroa in 6. As they
write, “he appears to be the real deal.”
“Your Lordship?”
Yes Jeeves
“I know that we agreed that there wouldn’t be any Christmas presents
this year but I must confess that I tried to get a new computer for you
recently.”
You did? How nice, Jeeves. I’m touched.
“Yes, I wanted to get a new computer for you but the store wanted Baht.
That’s a good one Jeeves. Now may I have my Island Lager, an A/C corona
and how about some George Strait on the music machine?
A three-way tie for first place
Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League
200 Bowlers – Leo, Berry,
Ooy, Rich, Wade, Kran, Bill, Antero & Jon
VFW Post 9876 lost sole possession of first place
after they lost all four points to Café Ole. Café Ole got good bowling
from Antero who had a 222 game, 568 series and Bill with a 202 game, 543
series.
House of the Golden Coin moved into a tie for first as they got a
two-two split with Three Sisters. Mio rolled a 529 series and Su a 514
for Golden Coin as Kaew was best for Three Sisters with a 531 pin count.
Berry bowled a 627 series with games of 212, 230 and 181, to lead Mai’s
Thai Restaurant to a three point win over Café Kronborg. Kran had a 235
game, 573 series for Kronborg and Rich had a 607 series, which included
a 237 game.
Montana remains in fourth place as they took three points from
Shenanigans. Tien had a good 543 series for Shenanigans but her other
two bowlers just had a bad day. Diamond Shop moved up the standings and
is in a tie for fourth after they won three points from Jack & Tar. Rich
had a 523 series for Diamond Shop, Jim a 534 and Lance a 523 series for
Jack & Tar. Brother D got back on the winning track as they took three
points from Domicil.
Assumption nets another trophy
A high-kicking student scores
a point for Assumption.
Mark Beales, Assumption College
High-flying students have picked up a major Sepak Trakraw trophy.
Assumption College Sriracha hosted its first inter-schools Sepak Trakraw
competition recently. More than 50 teams from all parts of Thailand came
to Assumption, which is near Pattaya, to take part in the under-18
competition.
Assumption College Sriracha and Suwankulap School in Bangkok made it to
the final. It was a tense affair with both teams kicking well, but the
eventual winners were Assumption by the score of 2-0.
Brother Surasit Sukchai presented the winning cup and said: “We want to
encourage the students to be good players for our country. If they are
good enough there is a chance they can go on to take part in a
competition abroad.”
Sepak Takraw, a mix between football and volleyball, is a hugely popular
sport in Thailand. The top competition in the world is the King’s Cup
World Championships. Thailand is renowned as the best team in the world,
having won 19 of the 21 King’s Cups. The men’s team has recently
extended its run by taking gold in the Asian Games in Qatar. The team
has now won gold at the last five Asian Games.
It is thought the sport is around 600 years old and was first played by
Thais and Malays. Around 60 years ago people started to use a net and
official rules were introduced. The game is now played in many Asian
countries.
Assumption College Sriracha runs several English programmes for all of
its 4,400 students. For more details visit
www.acs.ac.th.
The victorious Assumption
College Sriracha team.
No escaping ‘Houdini’
I.P.G.C golf with the Caddyshack
Tuesday, December 5, Noble Place,
Medal
It was the King’s birthday so double rates and very busy courses meant a
lower turn out than usual. We played a Medal round on the B & C ‘nines’
at Noble Place and on a hot day we looked forward to the expected 5-hour
round.
Not surprisingly the scores were very high with Bev Ewans firing a net
81 for second and Roy Mitchell winning the day with a net 77. ‘Near
Pins’ produced only one winner, that man being Roy Mitchell on C3 whilst
there were no ‘twos’ on the day.
Friday, December 8,
Pattaya C.C., Stableford
One of the favorite local courses, Pattaya Country Club was
the venue for a Stableford competition on Friday. Unfortunately the
course was very busy which delayed our tee-off time for 30 minutes. The
layout is in very good condition at the moment and the new I.P.G.C high
season rate is very reasonable. It’s a good job we are not charged by
the hour though as we had another 5-hour round.
Damien Trante who has been under the scalpel the last couple of weeks
has finally leveled off at 14 handicap. Well done the handicapper. In
spite of all this, Damien still managed to finish on the podium in 3rd
place with 34 points; in 2nd place was Michael Alidi playing off a 1
handicap with 36 points, (that adds up to 73 gross which is a very nice
round of golf), but the winner of the day was Paul ‘Houdini’ Butler with
37 points.
There were a couple of ‘twos’ on the day with the specialist Steve
Nowell getting one and Mike Alidi the other.
After the presentation and the great food at the Caddyshack, we enjoyed
our usual 8pm Friday night quiz with most of the golfers and quiz
boffins battling it out. If you fancy joining in this week, pop down to
the Caddy shack - all are welcome.
Chaos at Chonburi
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the OK Corral
On the King’s Birthday, December 5, the Pattaya Golf
Society chose Century Chonburi as the venue for its monthly “fun”
opener, a 3-player, ‘best two from three’ team medal event. Wish they
hadn’t!
The course was full to the gunnels and there were no golf carts
available and this fact alone led to the withdrawal of four teams, yet
the remaining five teams remained stoic until fifteen minutes after the
booked tee-off time and proceeded to follow a ubiquitous local five-ball
around the course. Eventually the group came off the course within
minutes of darkness at six o’ clock, and older heads recognised it was
all a case of deja vu as the same thing had occurred four years
previously under the leadership of the astute Harry Riley.
In second place, shooting a seven-over 151 was the hastily assembled
team of John Mason, Keith Barr and Ian Hart whilst the winning team of
Mike Allidi, Jan Eriksen and Brian Cole went five better by recording a
total of 146.
The day’s only birdie ‘two’ was achieved by Erik Anttonen, a matter of
hours before returning to his native Finland, no doubt donning a
seasonal white beard for the heavy Christmas season ahead in the
legendary Land of Santa. Ho, ho, ho - wasn’t the day fun!
King Cole reigns at Treasure Hill
Thursday turned out to be a peaceful golf day with an empty
course at Treasure Hill to welcome the Pattaya Golf Society for its
weekly Stableford event.
The two flights, separated at 21 and under were able to utilize both the
first and tenth tees and so the round got under way in quick time and
those in the second flight had the luxury of playing from the yellow
tees. The course was still playing long and the greens were slick so the
usual challenge held up on the course.
In Division 1, John Chambers posted a creditable 30 points on his first
round in the province and it was enough to take third place. One point
better was the pair of Bill Hewitt and John Mason and for the latter it
represented his best ever round in Pattaya. It was a fitting time to
record his first win with the PGS.
In the second flight scores were understandably better and Ian Hart and
Keith Barr were delighted with their third placed 33’s. Alan Freeman
used the day to record his best ever score, a total of 34 points, and it
was a sign that he is at last finding the skills necessary to play the
game. The round of the day though belonged to Brian Cole and he became
one of the small number of PGS golfers to break par on the course and
his 37 points gave him a hard-earned victory.
There was a plethora of ‘twos’ with Stuart Thompson and David Thomas
making their marks on the seventeenth and Bill Hewitt taking his regular
win on the sixth. He was joined by seven-handicapper John Chambers who
had the luxury of two birdies on the sixth and thirteenth holes.
The ‘Booby Bevy’ went to Brian Cole for the highest drive of the day on
the seventh when his ball eventually came to rest a mere three yards off
the tee, yet he still proceeded to record a bogey on the tough par-five.
The day had been in complete contrast to Tuesday and had been enjoyed by
all.
Eddie on course
at Greenwood
PSC golf from The Café Kronborg
Monday, December 4, Plutaluang,
Stableford
The Plutaluang south and east layouts were host to a Stableford
competition in two flights; A Flight 0 to 18 and B Flight 19 and up.
 Eddie
Graham scored a fine 40 points at the newly christened Greenwood
Eric Ravn took the A Flight with 37 points ahead of Bruce Lawrence in
second with 36 points. We had a count back for third on 34 points, won
by Ebrahim with Johan Reynisson in fourth.
Mike Winfield took the B Flight on a count back from Einar Vfoft in
second, both with 37 points. Kevin Dinan was third with 35 points and
Siriwan Walden fourth with 34 points.
Near Pins: Leif Kirkgaard, Elias Magnusson, Johan Reynisson,
Einar Vfoft
Long Put: John Swanson, Jan Lovgren
Thursday, December 7, Greenwood, Stableford
Not much to say, we came here when it used to be called Noble
Place, it has been smartened up of late and as prophesied the rate went
up also, but thankfully only by 100 baht so it will not break the bank.
The reception is now much smarter, and efficient, so this is still a
fine day out.
For this day we chose to play the A & B ‘Nines’, and the A Flight, 0 to
18 was won by Eddie Graham with 40 points with Ebrahim in second on 39
points, but only on count back from Kris Helgasson in third. Steindor
Eidsson finished fourth with 38 points. The A Flight played well as a
whole and the scores in this flight were excellent.
The B Flight saw much lower scores with the winner Daryl Evans scoring
34 points ahead of a three way count back on 33 points that saw Rick
Bevington in second, Graham Mitchell in third and J.C.Lhoste in fourth.
You only have to play well enough to win, and this flight did just that.
T.T.F.N.
Near Pin: Kris Helgasson (2), Chuck Carrier
Long Put: Kris Helgasson, Mark Brenton.
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